HAPPY PIONEER DAY

7/26/11

Hello,

It is always kind of depressing how Pioneer Day is just another day in any place other than Utah. There are no celebrations or parties, no Ward BBQs or any of that stuff. But leave all that aside and it was a pretty good week. Most of the week was spent in the office trying to get transfers all figured out with President Greer. The process of transfers is truly amazing. Elder Garrick and I in the transfer process also got a new companion. His name is Elder Gudjenov. He is from Bulgaria but his family moved to West Jordan when he was ten. He is like five-foot nothing an all around amazing missionary. We will be in a tri-panionship for three weeks until Elder Garrick goes home on the sixteenth of August. The three of us are going to have so much fun.

Transfers are tomorrow and everything just seemed to work out this time. I remember my first transfer was crazy but it makes all these other ones seem like a piece of cake. This next transfer is going to be amazing. We get to hear from Elder Perry but we don't have any other meetings so we will have a ton of time to go out and do the work. I am so excited. It has been hard to spend a lot of time in our area this past transfer because we have been so busy, but that will change.

This week we had some great things happen. Wednesday was probably one of my favorite things of the week. Actually, two things on Wednesday were great. Actually, Wednesday was just a good day. We started off early and were at President Greer's house at 6:20. We had a ‘training’ session in Dalles which is two hours away and we decided to ride with President and Sister Greer. It was probably one of the most amazing car rides. We sat there for two hours and just talked about all kinds of things. We learned about gospel principles of all kinds and just got to know the Greer’s even better. They are amazing people and are truly inspired. So we got to have four hours in the car with us just talking. In Dalles we had our training on the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion. It was different than any session we have had before. We focused mainly on how conversion comes when we have a change of heart. The purpose of this life is not just to go through the motions, it is about becoming what our Heavenly Father wants us to become. Conversion is truly doing and becoming. It is something we need to be working on all the time and continue to grow and increase. President Greer has focused a lot on this with the missionaries. Our mission is a time for us to become converted. Elder Garrick and I were studying the purpose of life and we realized how life comes in steps. For young men we prepare nineteen years to go out on a mission. Then we are preparing for two years for the rest of our lives. After that we are preparing the rest of our lives for eternity. This is just a short stop in the eternal aspect of things but the things we do here can truly have eternal consequences. Conversion is not something that comes over night; it starts by gaining a testimony of the basic truths of the gospel. Then as we live the basic truths and continue to press forward with faith, it becomes who we are as a person. That is one of the greatest blessings I have seen; the gospel has become a part of who I am. I am not doing it just because I am told to do it… I have read the Book of Mormon, I have prayed about it and I have received an answer. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what brings happiness and I have the chance to share my knowledge with everyone; to invite people to find out for themselves by reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it.

Okay, well back to Wednesday... So we had the wonderful ‘specialized’ training and I was on cloud nine. Then we got back to the office and I found out some amazing news! I AM GOING TO BE AN UNCLE! I am so excited. I got back into the office and Elder Bodmer (the mission recorder) gave me a message that said "Hello Uncle Scottie" love Deni. I am so excited.

After that we went out to our rural area and taught a couple lessons to some of our investigators. We had a really good lesson on the importance of prayer. Hopefully they start praying and will seek an answer. They seem really excited but we will see if they actually do something.

We had a few really good lessons with some of our other investigators. Elder Garrick and I have been really trying to just listen to what our investigators are saying and then teach accordingly. We plan out a lesson but we have been trying to rely more on the Spirit for how to teach. We had two lessons where it made all the difference. One was with the Mollote family. It is a PMF that has been investigating for a year. We just didn't know what to do with them. We went over and planned to talk about families and just ended up asking questions about where they are at in regards to the Church. We found out some things that we hadn't even thought of and we were able to teach according to those needs. Out other lesson was last night with Natalie Smallwood. We found her a couple of weeks ago and have taught her twice. Both times she has been kind of quiet and we realized that we were just bombarding her with information. So we set goal to get her talking and to see what she actually thinks. We were able to teach a great first lesson and to bring up some concerns that she has. By asking inspired questions we could change the whole lesson. We have to build that relationship with investigator and with people. They are real sons and daughters of God who need this message just as much as we do and it can bring them just as much joy as it brings us. The moral of the story is never stop learning. There are ways that we can constantly try and improve. It is when we stop learning that we get in trouble. Complacency and idleness is the devils play ground.

Overall, things are going great. It is so amazing to be a part of this work. A hand full of missionaries are going home today and it is amazing to see how two short years can change a life. I have served with these missionaries my whole mission and have looked to them as examples. Last night we had the chance to sit and hear some of their closing testimonies and it is truly manifest that no matter what has happened in our lives or where we have been we each need the Savior. Jesus Christ is real and through Him change is possible. There is always a way back. Never give up and remember to replace fear with faith. As we have that faith and put our trust in the Savior, we can one day become those individuals that our Heavenly Father wants us to be. It all starts with just taking one step and getting on the path that our Savior has set out for us.

Love,

Elder M Scott Draper